The sun was burning brightly in the Virginia sky. Caroline was grateful she had thought to wear a pretty hat with a wide brim. It kept her face from burning. She walked briskly down the sidewalk, anxious to get home. Her shoes were beginning to wear and she hadn’t thought to ask her mother to purchase her a new pair while she was out.
She preferred to choose her own shoes anyway. She would just go past the store on her way to work in the morning and stop for a pair. She passed several young men who were walking in the opposite direction. They all looked at her and smiled. She smiled back.
She could see the differences in their smiles and wondered if they realized they did that. She passed them every day on her way home. One of them was tall and thin and though he wore a shirt and tie, he didn’t look like he was coming from an office. The two with him were dressed in work clothes. They were shorter than their companion and were almost always covered in dirt. It was an odd sight until Caroline became used to seeing them.
Over the last six months or so of passing them every day, she had noticed that they all looked at her in different ways. The tall one greeted her with a quick nod of his head and half a grin. One of the other boys gave her a leering look and his eyes scanned her from head to toe every day. The third was the one she liked. He looked friendly, his smile was warm and genuine and she saw a gentleman in him.
The three never spoke to her and she never said anything to them.
She was almost home, turning onto her street and walking to the third house on her left. She didn’t look up at it as she went through the gate and down the sidewalk, missing all the new flowers that had recently been planted and the artfully shaped sculptures and fountains that dotted the wide green yard. The groundskeeper was a master at his craft. But Caroline didn’t notice.
She went up the steps to the front porch, crossed it and pulled open the storm door first. She went through both doors and immediately stopped to the sound of upset voices in the den. She made a beeline for it, dropping her light shawl, which she had regretted taking in the first place and her hat on the foyer table.
“Who’s there?” She asked as she went, not recognizing the voices. She was surprised when she turned into the den to see it was her family that was upset, not some visiting stranger. Raised voices were not common in Caroline’s home. Her parents were extremely calm people, upstanding citizens in their small town.
“Caroline!” Her little sister Dorothy came running over to her and threw her arms around her middle.
“Ooof, Dottie, what’s the problem?” Caroline attempted to disentangle herself from her sister’s grip, but Dottie was too upset.
“Oh, Caroline, that’s it. We’re done. Nothing left. It’s all gone! Oh, Caroline!”
Caroline looked up at her parents in confusion, but they weren’t much help. Her mother was holding a glass that had some type of liquor in it, probably brandy. Another wave of shock went through Caroline. What in heaven’s name could have happened that would make her mother drink the brandy that had been in the cupboard ever since Caroline could remember.
“Please someone tell me what’s going on here?” She said, taking her sister’s face in between her hands and giving her kisses on her forehead. She hugged her and Dottie finally released her.
“It’s a terrible situation for us, Caroline.” Her brother replied. He was standing with their father next to the huge bay window, staring out over the land, where their cows and horses were.
“What is?”
“We’re bust! Got no money left! We’re done!” His words came out forceful and he didn’t even look at her. She shook her head.
“I am afraid I don’t understand, David. What does that mean?”
Her father was the first to look at her. His round face was red with anger and frustration. When he spoke, she knew the underlying pain in his voice was real. The anger he felt wasn’t directed at her, she could see that. “Mr. Stapleton has up and stole all the profits from our restaurant for the last three years. He’s been fudging the books, lining his pockets with stolen cash for a long time. Now he has disappeared and no one knows where he or the money he stole is at.”
Caroline frowned. “I don’t understand. How can that be? Is there anything you can do? Do you know where he is?”
Her father shook his head. “I don’t know where he is. There is nothing I can do. He has pulled off a scam that will ruin this family. We can’t keep the business going for long with no money behind it. We would have to start from scratch with a corner food stand.”
Fear ran down Caroline’s spine. The restaurant had been her family’s life. They all worked there, they were comfortable because of it and the plan was to continue running it for the next hundred years if possible. Without it, there was only her job.
Her secretary’s job.
She looked around herself at the furnishings and other luxuries she hadn’t seen before. Her mind even took her to the front yard, where there were beautiful sights to be seen. This would all disappear.
Her breath caught and her mind began to race. There had to be some way to prevent this from happening.